Gampong Lhok – small settlement in Kuala Pesisir Kecamatan, Nagan Raya Kabupaten
Gampong Lhok is an Indonesian village (gampong) located in the northern part of Sumatra island, in Aceh province. Administratively, it belongs to Kuala Pesisir Kecamatan, which is part of Nagan Raya Kabupaten. Based on its coordinates (4.0646195° N, 96.2336126° E), the settlement is situated in the coastal, western region of Aceh province. Currently, settlement-level sources are not available; therefore, the description below relies on available regency-level data and generally known characteristics of Aceh province, always indicating this clearly.
General overview
The wider environment of Gampong Lhok, Kabupaten Nagan Raya, is a relatively young administrative unit: established on July 2, 2002, based on Law No. 4 of 2002, through the division of the former Kabupaten Aceh Barat. The regency's capital is Suka Makmue, located approximately 287 kilometers, or roughly six hours' travel, from Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province. The regency had a recorded population of 179,108 as of mid-2024. An interesting point about the name "Nagan Raya" is that the word "Nagan" has no known meaning in the Acehnese language, and its historical origin is not clearly established; the word "Raya," on the other hand, means "great," referring to all the kecamatan within the area. The name Kuala Pesisir refers to a coastal location, which aligns with the area's proximity to Sumatra's west coast. Based on the region's general character, Gampong Lhok appears to be a smaller community primarily engaged in agriculture and fishing; however, no verified, concrete sources are available on this.
Real estate and investment
Publicly available independent real estate market data for Gampong Lhok is not accessible. The broader Nagan Raya regency, like much of Aceh province, possesses a real estate market structure typical of rural and semi-urbanized areas: agricultural land, fishing-related properties, and smaller residential properties are the dominant categories. Among local characteristics in Aceh province worth mentioning is that customary law (adat) applicable here may influence land use and ownership relationships in certain cases. Generally speaking, in Indonesia, foreign nationals cannot acquire full ownership rights to land; relevant Indonesian laws (particularly the 1960 Agrarian Law and its amendments) provide foreigners with limited usage rights, such as Hak Pakai (right of use). From an investment perspective, the region is primarily relevant through the agricultural sector – particularly palm oil production and fishing – which constitute generally recognized pillars of the Nagan Raya regency economy. Investors are advised to conduct thorough preliminary examination of current legal frameworks and local regulations.
Safety and security
Concrete, settlement-level statistics on public safety in Gampong Lhok are not available. Aceh province is generally characterized by a stable public security situation within Indonesia. The 2005 Helsinki peace agreement concluded a decades-long armed conflict, and since then the province has largely consolidated. Aceh province is the only Indonesian region where Sharia-based local regulations (qanun) are partially enforced, which also influences local norms regarding public security and administrative practices. In rural areas, including Kuala Pesisir Kecamatan, community-level social control typical of general Indonesian rural conditions is characteristic. Visitors are advised to monitor current travel advisories from Indonesian authorities and foreign affairs services.
Tourist attractions
Available, verified sources do not list named tourist attractions for Gampong Lhok. Based on Kuala Pesisir Kecamatan's coastal location, it may be assumed that the seaside natural environment could be locally attractive; however, no specific beach or nature conservation area mentioned in sources can be identified. Regarding the broader Nagan Raya regency, it is worth noting that Aceh province as a whole possesses rich natural resources – the province is home to the Leuser Ecosystem, which is also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List – but this area is not in the immediate vicinity of Nagan Raya regency; rather, it is located in the eastern-central part of Aceh province. The regency's capital, Suka Makmue, lies relatively far from other cities in the province, suggesting modest development of local tourism infrastructure. Those planning to visit the western coast of Aceh province typically use the city of Meulaboh as a starting point, which is located in the neighboring region of Nagan Raya, in Kabupaten Aceh Barat.
Summary
Gampong Lhok is a small Acehnese village in Kuala Pesisir Kecamatan, Nagan Raya Kabupaten, in the northern part of Sumatra. According to available data, the regency was established in 2002, with its capital in Suka Makmue, and had a population of nearly 179,000 as of 2024. The settlement itself does not appear independently in publicly available sources; therefore, detailed local knowledge, real estate market, or tourism data cannot be reliably provided at present. However, the region's economic and cultural context – palm oil production, fishing, and Acehnese customary law and religious traditions – is indicative for understanding the wider environment of Gampong Lhok.
